Hudson Missteps

51hornet · Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2007 9:10 pm Post subject: Re: 50 Pacemaker Coupe

So many what ifs with Hudson. Bottom line they needed someone else at the helm after 48 someone who could have seen the writing on the wall and really made an effort to merge with Packard. Barit and the Packard President rubbed each other the wrong way. Around 49-50 Packard and Hudson held talks about a possible merger and it was pitched that Packard do the luxury line and Hudson do the low to mid and combine the engineering and styling teams and dealer networks. At the time Hudson was doing well so was Packard but they were having trouble getting raw material so a merger would have given them the muscle to get the resources they needed to grow.

Can you imagine Packard doing the higher end cars and Hudson doing the fast and mid range cars with access to Packards proving grounds and the combined engine engineering team. Could have lasted well into the sixties. Barit made the missteps that killed Hudson. I think with the right merger they could have been strong enough by 54 to buy Nash and Studebaker and make a combined company that could have given the big 3 a run for their money.

Dave53-7C · Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2007 9:50 pm Post subject: Re: 50 Pacemaker Coupe

A Hudson/Packard merger would have been a solid deal. Packard could have returned to building only high end luxury cars and left the rest to Hudson. I've heard about the clash between the CEO's, but the stockholders should have stepped up (that would be Packard owners...Hudson owners would have stepped down) and forced the merger. At the 49 to 50 timeframe, Packards slab-sided/bathtub design and Hudsons stepdowns would have complimented one another. However, the downside to such a merger would have meant that we'd have Ultraumatics in our cars. Yuk! Whether independent or merged, Hudson and Packard would have to keep in step with customer demands. In order to do that, each needed a younger, aggressive and forward thinking CEO. If that would have occured, both might still be around in some incarnation. Even though Hudson didn't have testing grounds like Packard, they still found a way to deliver the goods. Unfortunately, I must agree that Barit killed Hudson with the Jet. I'm sure it was not his intention, he just made a bad decision that he lamented until his death. Another mistake on Barit's part was to merge with Nash. If he knew the ship is sinking, he should have merged with winners such as Ford, GM or Chrysler, not another independent. If Hudson would have merged with Packard, and then brought in Nash and Studebaker, they could have killed them and sucked up their resources, just like what Mason did to Hudson. God must be a Hudson man since Mason barely lived beyond the merger before the grim reaper sucked the life out of his portly carcuss.

51hornet · Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2007 1:07 am Post subject: Re: 50 Pacemaker Coupe

Mason was quite the salesman. The number one problem with the Nash merger was the Hudson debt. Hudson came in with a weak hand even though they had the superior engineering and design team. The Hudson executive side was weak at this point and did not fight hard enough to keep the Hudson brand alive. They basically rolled over and played dead.

You only have to look at the 55 model year to see what way the wind was blowing. I don't care what anyone says the 55-57 Hash were the biggest POS that ever hit the road. The design was absolutely awful. Spring was given the task of producing an updated look for the Metropolitan a more suped up car he of course died in one of those S**t boxes.

The Nash merger was a final act of desperation. On the balance sheet Nash was doing ok the primary goal was to add the Hudson expertise to the mid range models and let Nash produce station wagons and econoboxes but as is the case with all mergers a pissing contest between engineering and design shops happened and Kenosha won out and most of the talented Hudson people ended up in the big three which speaks volumes to what they thought their chances were in the new company.

Sad little history lesson but its always good to say what if and lament the fact that people had lots of choices back then to what they bought and now look at the big three....pretty sad lot....

Dave53-7C · Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2007 11:22 am Post subject: Re: 50 Pacemaker Coupe

Mason sure was a good salesman. He sure sold Barit a bill of goods. Hudson wasn't all that bad off. They came to the table with a hefty sum tied up in real estate, tooling, etc. As you said, Hudson executives were problem. It appears that they were more interested in their bottom line than saving a great company.

So true about the 1955 models, just rebadged Nashes. Although the 55's were passable appearance wise, the 56 and 57 models were, and still are, one of the worst designs to hit the road.

Yes, the Nash merger was an act of desperation. If Barit would have gone to one of the Big Three, all based in Detroit like Hudson, he may have saved the brand.

As for the Big Three now, they're finally getting the message and making good vehicles that people want. Their problem was that they were riding the wave and thought they were invinsible. They cranked out crappy looking cars with dubious quality. Ford and GM are coming back. As for Chrysler, time will tell what the three headed dog people will do to it. No vehicle is perfect. I had a brand new 87 Toyota Super that was absolute crap and still have a 97 Ford Explorer that I bought new and, at 134k miles, is the best vehicle I ever owned. So much for Toyota quality. Then as now, Toyota pays heavy money to keep the problems with their cars from the public. When I used to be in traffic with the Supra, other Toyota owners would pull up and ask if I had problems, what they were and how I was dealing with them.

51hornet · Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2007 1:42 pm Post subject: Re: 50 Pacemaker Coupe

The big three would have never have bought Hudson. There was nothing they offered that was worth assuming the almost 35 million in debt. The big three were not rock solid in the desire to produce great design. Yes they did all produce some nice cars but the bottom line was selling cars just crank them out and be done with it.

Hudson produced a high quality over engineered product. The factory processes in place were the same in use since the late twenties. They had not updated the production flow or process control they didn't even have a department or staff that looked at what was the best/quickest/cheapest method to produce the cars.

If you look at the factory layout and how the cars were assembled and the amount of actual manual versus machine assisted assemble Hudson was hopelessly outdated. Our cars are so good because they were bascially hand assembled.

Instead of outlaying money on the Jet Barit should have used the post war boom to update the factory and ensure the rail spur into the loading dock was solid. When GM cut the spur Hudson had to truck its cars to the dealers which added hundreds to the dealer delivery cost. The clouds were gathering over Hudson as early as 49 and they screwed any chance of success.

The late 47 launch of the Stepdown had gone so well they could not produce enough cars to keep up they kept running out of steel. They should have had a team lobbying the government for supplies the big three were using under the table tactics to ensure the resources kept flowing. In 48 they were way in the black. 49 they produced less cars even though the demand was there and that trend continued every year after that. By 50 their dealer network was in the beginnings of decline.

They should have combined with Packard and really shook up the dealer network getting them the cars quickly and on time. And then made an all out effort to grow the network. I would have given every new dealer two cars free for their own use.

So many small missteps lead to such a big fall. As soon as my tachyon field generator is perfected we will be able to send messages back to Frank to help him turn the company around. Keep your fingers crossed....

Dave53-7C · Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2007 3:20 pm Post subject: Re: 50 Pacemaker Coupe

One of the Big Three could have bought Hudson to eliminate competition
and assume their holdings. It could have worked.

Don't kid yourself, Hudson spent big bucks tooling up for the stepdowns and in some, maybe not many regards, they were up to date. They weren't adverse to mechanization, they were believes in the old adage, "Many hands make light labor."

Although I understand what you're saying about the rail spur, I take exception to Hudson using only trucks to ship cars. Cars from Detroit were shipped via the Great Lakes and I have the invoices to prove it. Nya, Nya! Just about every city on the Great Lakes at the time had a Hudson distributor. From there, some cars would be trucked, some picked-up by owners and some driven from the distributor to the dealerships.

It's true what you say about the steel supply. Also, the US government price controls didn't help the situation nor did the Korean war.

If we could only turn back the hands of time, I'd be a dealer driving a free Packson or Hudkard.

I think you need to send messages to Mr. Barit. After all, he was in the drivers seat. Oh, but don't forget to tell Frank about his demise if Hudson fails.

51hornet · Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2007 4:33 pm Post subject: Re: 50 Pacemaker Coupe

Dave baby,

I am not talking about the tooling. Hudson had great tooling and presses. What I am talking about is the process flow of materials parts and assembly. It has been clearly identified that Hudson had not moved with the times on this issue. They had too many people working on processes that could have been automated or optimized. The bottom line has to be broken down into how many paid employees does it take to produce a car. Where are the bottlenecks and which processes require updating.

Though Hudson retooled to the tune of 16 million dollars for the Stepdown line they did not significantly change the assembly line from the prewar vehicles. The big three spent a lot of time in time and motion studies to reduce overhead. Hudson did not even address this. Maybe understandable in the rush to get cars out. But while many hands are far superior to machine processes the bottom line is every dollar counts. I have heard stories of the Hudson presses been sold for scrap before they tore down the factory. The welding jigs were a thing of beauty also scrapped. Makes me cry. Nash didn't give a crap they just shut it down and sold the lot for demolition.

Consider the slippery slope the standard 54 Hornet produced at the end of 53 shipped anywhere from $2400 - 3100 depending on model. The Hornet special was fire saled at $1610 which meant they made no money on these cars they were just getting them out the door as a loss leader.

And yes I know they shipped cars via the great lakes but instead of the old days when they trainloaded all cars for delivery to the different methods be it ship or truck they had to truck everything from the plant which was more expensive than the old train based method. I have letters from owners who took the train to Detroit to pickup their own cars because the new delivery fees were offsetting.

Actually Frank and I are planning a hostile takeover so stayed tuned for that and if you go out to your garage and a 2007 Hudson Hornet with hybrid drive is in your garage you will know we were successful but then again you might not when the timeline changes.

Dave53-7C · Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2007 7:50 pm Post subject: Re: 50 Pacemaker Coupe

Sean,

Aye, I got your drift. But without having all the info in front of me for comparision, I can't say for sure that Hudson was that much worse off than other manufacturers of the era.

Sure, the Big Three paid to have time space continuum, motion and motion lotion studies performed, but to what avail? Then, even moreso than now, car manufacturers sold whatever management thought people wanted. What choice did the average Joe have? You bought what was available or you walked. I guess the bottom line is that the independents went along making quality cars as they always did and the conglomerates forged ahead and dazzled buyers with ever more chrome, gizmos and horsepower. Quite frankly, Hudson could have been making cars with stone hammers and bone chisels and charging $10,000.00 for each of them. All they had to do was find their niche and fill it. They missed out on that. Case in point are Bentley and Rolls. They found their niche and customers pay dearly for the privledge of waiting for a year while there car is hand built. And quess what...they're still poking alone. Yet another example is Duesenberg, the finest car that will ever be made. Although their production technology was light years behind Hudson, they filled a niche and prospered until the depression, and ill-fates of E.L. Cord, sealed their fate. Since Hudson was not quick on the draw to fill a niche in the auto world, they missed the boat and pissed away money on the Jet that they should have invested in updating their plants and developing/building a V-8.

As far as Mason and Nash are concerned, I hope he and his cohearts are operating those presses and welding jigs down where they are. Rather than building on Hudsons proud 50+ year heritage, Nash's selling it off like scrap was was just plain stupid. Maybe the fools who killed Oldsmobile and Plymouth took lessons from them. That's the way it is in the corporate world. When auto executives fail, they blame it on the make, workers, market, buyers or whoever else can be used as a scapegoat.

Hey, the fire sale on the 54's was just plain stupid. As if the rumors of the pending merger with Nash weren't bad enough, Hudson itself starts giving the shop away. Whose bright idea was that? Let me guess, a secretary in a simple black dress.

As far as shipping goes, I knew you knew what I knew but who knew.

I'll be happy with whatever shows up in my garage...as long as it's paid for. Just leave the keys, title and owner's manual on the front seat please. Also, I'd like mine in a nice color shifting Wisteria with darker matching leather interior.

51hornet · Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 12:01 am Post subject: Re: 50 Pacemaker Coupe

So many things that could have been with the right management team. Look at Packard and Studebaker they did ok for a while and produced some nice designs.

Hey we got 1909-54 so I am happy. 2007 and beyond well thats up to me isn't it..... Wink

Dave53-7C · Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 8:45 am Post subject: Re: 50 Pacemaker Coupe

Packard made it until 58 and Studebaker until 64. Sad.

We await the new Hudson.

51hornet · Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 12:15 pm Post subject: Re: 50 Pacemaker Coupe

Very sad so many people do not realize how much choice they had back then compared to now. You need to support your own industry and keep these guys afloat. This crap of big business offshoring everything in the pursuit of shareholder value just ends up screwing the middle class. And as we all know its the middle class that floats the boat. I lament the closing of all the Mom and Pop stores for big chains and Walmart in pursuit of the lowest price has killed the bread and butter of people who make up the fabric of our society.

I can't buy a damn thing in my neighborhood I have to drive to big box stores. I spent 5 months last year living in Brazil. I had a condo down by the ocean. In my neighborhood I had everything. It was like Canada and the US in the 50's-60's there was a hardware store a grocery store where the prices were identical to the big stores. A florist, many restaurants, a post office and newspaper store. The schools and churches were there. Everything you need to function. So I did not need to drive anywhere just walked out the door and everything I needed was within walking distance and since I was shopping there I got to know everyone in the neighborhood and they looked out for me and I for them. People were so gregarious it was great.

Up here we have to get in a car drive for food and shopping, drive for restaurants. When I am out washing my Hudson its only me. Never see anyone else. People don't walk places anymore they do not walk their neighborhoods. We have one corner store in our street and people drive to it??? its at the top of the street. Its getting crazy and with the Internet and TV people just bunker down its so very strange.

I live on a corner lot so I only have one neighbor he is old school like me we talk at the fence and he looks after my place when I'm away and I look after his. We sit out back and BS. We live in the oldest part of the city and we have new people who have moved in and I don't think we have seen them once.....

And how I got on that rant from your post I will never know. Just lamenting the decay of society as a whole I guess and how big business and the governments that support them has cut the heart out of the country....

Dave53-7C · Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 7:19 pm Post subject: Re: 50 Pacemaker Coupe

So true. There were many choices of car brands at one time. I support our industries as much as free trade allows. By that I mean, we buy what we need and sometimes it is actually made here. Business offshoring is due to the bean counters and, in the case of automobiles, the unions. Do we really need to pay people $30.00 per hour (not including medical, dental, vision and life insurance as well as pension) to assemble a car? It's the same repetative BS hour after hour, day after day. It's the buyers, not big box stores, that killed the Mom and Pop operations. Have you ever seen the documentary about Wal-Mart? The townspeople lament over all the small businesses in their towns going under as a result of Wal-Mart coming to town. Well, who the hell do they thinl shops at their Wal-Mart? People don't drive in from towns 100 miles away. The locals killed the small business when they decided to abandon them and shop elsewhere. If a town wants to stay small and stick to its ways, no problem. Just don't invite a big box store to town and then bitch about it.

Speaking of your life in Brazil, Rosita said that Pasqual, Miguel, Jose, Maria, Conchita, Hector, Veronica, Pablo, Carlos and Jesus miss their papa and want to know when the big metal bird will bring him home.

I did a google satellite search of your street and have seen plenty of people walking around, kids playing, etc. However, the streets do become strangely vacant when you wash your Hudson.

I never see people either, but I live in the contry. Instead, I see cows, horses, deer, fox, egrets, cranes, hawks, owls, racoons, skunks, etc. It works for me since they're not annoying like most humans. Nothing is within walking distance and that too is just fine with me. I drive to civilization to get what I need and retreat back to a life of tranquility. After having lived in Chicago for 35 years, you can keep the congestion, noise, pollution, crime and grime. After all, it's a proven fact that urban living is bad for your health. When we go bye bye, the dogs, security system and police watch the house. I have neighbors and do see them from time to time. We wave and briefly talk on occasion. That's good enough for me.

You don't see the new people because they found about you from the people who moved. You know, they said stuff like, "Watch out for Sean, the guy with the old car, he washes it ever day wearing only gloves and socks."

51hornet · Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 7:38 pm Post subject: Re: 50 Pacemaker Coupe

Yes so true people buy the cheapest they can. I for one NEVER shop at Walmart I hate the place its the lowest common denominator and as all parts of life you get what you pay for.

I too am looking for an acreage and would toss over the city life in 2 seconds for a good parcel of land that like Tom Joad I can call my own. I want to build my shrine to Hudson and cover the roof in solar panels and run a geothermal pump and windmill and moon the power company as they drive by.

Yeah thats the life for me....

And while its true I wear gloves and socks I also wear a hat I am Irish and burn under house lights.....